The Camp Fire Girls in After Years

  CHAPTER XVI

  A TALK THAT WAS NOT AN EXPLANATION

  THE Suffrage meeting was fairly interesting, but then both Meg and Bettyhad been believers in equal rights for men and women ever since theirCamp Fire days and there were few new arguments to be heard on thesubject.

  When they came out from the crowded hall, however, it was still tooearly to call for Anthony. There could be no hope of getting hold of himbefore half-past five o'clock. So it was Meg Emmet's suggestion that sheand Betty stop by and see her father for a few moments. ProfessorEverett had a slight cold and his daughter was a little uneasy abouthim.

  They found the old gentleman in his library sipping hot tea andre-reading a letter from his son, Horace, whom Betty could not everthink of by any more serious name than "Bumps." She always saw a visionof the small boy dragging around at his sister Meg's heels and tumblingover every object in their way. However, "Bumps" had grown up to be avery clever fellow and had a better record at college than his brotherJohn ever had. The young man was to graduate in law at Cornell in thecoming spring. The present letter was to say, however, that he expectedto spend Christmas in Concord with his father. He had been doing sometutoring at Cornell and had earned the money for his trip himself.

  Plainly Professor Everett was much pleased by this news. He had alwaysbeen a devoted father to all his three motherless children, but Horacewas his "Benjamin."

  Moreover, they were still talking of "Bumps" when unexpectedly JohnEverett made his appearance. He was looking rather fagged, but explainedthat there was nothing going on at his office and so he had quit for theday.

  Nevertheless tea had a reviving effect upon him, as it had upon both Megand Betty, so that Betty was surprised to discover that it was twentyminutes past five o'clock when her visit seemed scarcely to have begun.

  It was quite dark, however, as it was toward the middle of December whenthe days are short, so that John Everett insisted upon accompanying hissister and friend, even though they were in Betty's carriage.

  Meg's home was nearer. They drove there first and later John went on tothe Capitol, where Betty sent in to inquire if the Governor were free toreturn home with her.

  There was a little time to wait before the answer came, so that in themeanwhile Betty and John continued talking.

  It was Betty who asked the first important question.

  "I do hope, John, that your new business is succeeding," she saidcarelessly, although of course she felt a friendly interest in John'ssuccess and in that of Meg's husband.

  However, John Everett hesitated a moment before replying.

  "Oh, our success depends on your Governor and so perhaps on you," heanswered in a half joking tone. "I don't know whether you happen to haveheard anything about it, but we are trying to get a bill through theLegislature this season which will give us the chance to build the newroads in the state of New Hampshire for the next few years. But we don'tknow just yet how the Governor feels about it, whether he is going tooppose our bill or work with us. He has a big lot of influence."

  "Oh," Betty replied vaguely. She sincerely hoped that John Everett wasnot going to try persuade her to ask her husband to assist him for thesecond time. Surely if he did she would refuse. For in the first placeshe did not wish to confess that she believed herself to have no realinfluence with her husband and in the second she wouldn't try tointerfere in anything so important as a bill to be gotten through theLegislature unless she knew everything about it. Formerly she had takenan intense interest in all the political affairs that interested herhusband, yet recently Anthony had not been discussing matters with hervery often. Moreover, she had a sudden feeling that she did not wish tobe mixed up again with John Everett's concerns.

  So fortunately before Betty had a chance to reply Anthony came down thelength of stone steps to his wife's carriage.

  He seemed pleased at seeing her, but not very enthusiastic over hercompanion.

  However, John Everett said good-bye and left at once.

  They had only fairly started on the road toward home when Anthony saidsuddenly:

  "I do wish, Betty, that you would not be seen so often with JohnEverett. Oh, I know you don't realize it, but it seems to me that youare very often with him. I know he is Meg's brother and that you aredevoted friends, but I tell you I don't like the fellow. The more I knowhim, the less I like him. So I simply won't have my wife in hissociety."

  Betty caught her breath and her cheeks flushed hotly in the darkness.How unkind Anthony was to her these days! Could it be possible that hedid not love her any more? He certainly could not be jealous of JohnEverett; that idea was too absurd to be considered. For she never hadcared for any one in her life except her husband and he must know it.However, she had no intention of being bullied.

  "Don't be silly, Anthony," Betty replied petulantly. "I don't see verymuch of John Everett. Besides, if I did what difference would it make?Of course, if you know anything actually against him you would tell me?"

  "So you no longer wish to do things just because I wish them? I'm sorry,Betty," Anthony returned. Then they drove the rest of the way home insilence, both behaving like sullen children in spite of the fact thatthey were entirely grown-up people, the Governor of the state and hisclever and charming wife.

  For the truth was that Anthony Graham was jealous of John Everett andyet was ashamed to speak of it. He would never have dreamt of such afeeling if only he and Betty had not been estranged for the past fewweeks. Besides, he was missing the opportunity to spend as much timewith her as he formerly had before his election to office. Surely Bettymust understand that. How could he help hating to have another fellowdrinking tea with her on any number of afternoons when he was slavingat his office--especially a man like John Everett?

  Oh, of course Anthony realized that this was rather a dog-in-the-mangerattitude on his part and that he ought to laugh over it with his wife.

  Moreover, if he had, Betty would have understood and forgiven him. Shemight even have been a little pleased, since she believed that Anthonydid not miss the loss of her society half so much as she had the loss ofhis. If he had even told her the special reason he had for dislikingJohn Everett doubtless she would have been convinced, in spite of hernatural loyalty to her old friends.

  But Anthony did not even do this. He had an idea that he was savingBetty trouble by not telling her of the loss of the papers by which hecould prove that the bill which ex-Governor Peyton, Jack Emmet and JohnEverett were trying to get through the Legislature was an effort tocheat the state.

  Yet in consequence Betty cried herself into a headache and was thereforeunable to come down to dinner, while Anthony decided that she would notcome simply because she was too angry with him.

  So can people in this world manage to misunderstand each other, evenafter they have been married a number of years and are very deeply andtruly in love with each other.